How to Do Upright Rows: Form, Grip Width and Best Variations

The upright row is a classic shoulder and trap builder and one of the most searched shoulder exercises online. You pull a barbell, dumbbells or cable handle straight up along the front of your body toward your chest, leading with the elbows. It is also an exercise that divides opinion, because many people find narrow-grip versions uncomfortable. The good news: small changes to grip width and pulling height make it feel much better for most lifters. This guide covers how to do upright rows with proper form, which grip to use, common mistakes, variations, programming and when lifting straps are worth bringing out for this exercise on heavier sets.

What Muscles Does the Upright Row Work?

The upright row trains the side deltoids and the upper traps, with the front delts, biceps and forearms helping. A wider grip tends to emphasize the side delts, while a narrower grip involves more upper trap. It is one of the few compound exercises that hits the side delts and traps together.

How to Do the Upright Row: Step by Step

1. Choose your equipment

A barbell, EZ bar, pair of dumbbells or a cable with a straight bar all work. Dumbbells and cables give your arms more freedom of movement, which many people find comfortable.

2. Grip about shoulder width or wider

Take an overhand grip at or slightly outside shoulder width. Very narrow grips are where most lifters feel discomfort.

3. Stand tall

Stand with feet hip width apart, knees soft, core braced and the weight hanging at arm's length in front of your thighs.

4. Lead with your elbows

Pull the weight straight up along your body, driving your elbows up and out to the sides.

5. Stop around chest height

Raise until your elbows are around shoulder height and the bar is at roughly lower to mid-chest. There is no need to pull to your chin.

6. Pause

Hold briefly at the top.

7. Lower under control

Lower the weight slowly back to the starting position.

Common Upright Row Mistakes

• Grip too narrow. Hands close together is a common cause of discomfort. Widen to shoulder width or beyond.
• Pulling too high. Pulling the bar to your chin or nose isn't necessary. Stop when elbows reach shoulder height.
• Too much weight. Heavy upright rows encourage swinging and shrugging. Choose a weight you can control.
• Leaning back. Stay tall and avoid using your hips to start the rep.
• Wrists leading. The elbows should be higher than the hands at the top.
• Rushing the lowering phase. Control the descent.

Upright Row Variations

Wide-grip barbell upright row

A grip well outside the shoulders to emphasize the side delts.

Dumbbell upright row

Dumbbells let each arm find a comfortable path.

Cable upright row

A straight bar or rope on a low cable keeps tension through the whole range.

Single-arm cable upright row

One arm at a time for a free path and focus on each side.

High pull

An explosive version used in athletic training, often from the hang position.

Grip Width Explained

Grip width is the biggest variable in the upright row:

• Narrow (hands a few inches apart): more upper trap involvement and the version most people find uncomfortable.
• Shoulder width: a balanced default for side delts and traps.
• Wide (well outside shoulders): more side delt emphasis and a shorter range of motion.

Start at shoulder width and adjust from there based on comfort and what you feel working.

Using Straps for Upright Rows

On heavier sets, grip can fade before the shoulders and traps. Lifting straps let you keep the focus on the target muscles without squeezing the bar as hard, which some lifters also find helps them relax their forearms and lead with the elbows.

Upright Row vs Lateral Raise vs Shrug

These three exercises overlap but each has a focus. The lateral raise isolates the side delts. The shrug isolates the upper traps. The upright row sits in the middle, training both together with more load. A balanced shoulder day might include one heavy press, plus one or two of these, along with face pulls for the rear delts.

Upright Rows for Beginners

Start with light dumbbells or a cable bar rather than a heavy barbell. Practice leading with the elbows and stopping at shoulder height. Two to three sets of 12 to 15 reps is a good starting point. If you feel uncomfortable at any grip width, try a different variation or replace the exercise with lateral raises.

Tempo and Pauses

A one-second pause at the top and a two- to three-second lowering phase keep the weight under control and make moderate loads challenging. This is more effective than heaving heavier weight with momentum.

Breathing and Bracing

Brace your core before each rep and exhale as you lower the weight. Keeping your torso still prevents you from leaning back to swing the weight up, so your shoulders and traps do the work. Squeezing your glutes lightly helps you stay tall throughout the set, especially as you get tired near the end.

Where Upright Rows Fit in a Split

In a push pull legs split, upright rows can go on push day after overhead pressing, or on pull day alongside shrugs. In an upper/lower split, place them near the end of an upper day. One or two sessions a week is enough for most lifters.

Keep the weight moderate and let consistent, quality reps drive your progress over time.

Warming Up for Upright Rows

Start with arm circles and a set of band pull-aparts, then do 15 upright rows with an empty bar or light dumbbells. Use that light set to find a grip width that feels smooth for your shoulders and to practice stopping when your elbows reach shoulder height. If the light set feels awkward at any width, try a cable or dumbbells before adding load.

How to Program the Upright Row

Upright rows fit well on shoulder or upper-body days after your main pressing work. Use 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps with moderate weight. They pair well with lateral raises and face pulls for complete shoulder development.

Sample session

• Overhead press: 4 x 5. See how to overhead press.
• Wide-grip upright row: 3 x 12
• Lateral raise: 3 x 15. See lateral raises.
• Face pull: 3 x 15. See face pulls.
• Shrugs: 3 x 12. See how to do shrugs.

Progressing Upright Rows

Upright rows sit in the 10 to 15 rep range for most lifters, and progress best through reps and control rather than big jumps. Once you can complete all sets at the top of the range with a pause at the top, add the smallest increment available. If you train on a cable, the stack lets you move up in small steps. Keep the same grip width from session to session so your numbers stay comparable.

Gear for Upright Rows

The upright row is a pull, so if the weight gets heavy, grip can fade before the shoulders do. Bay Gear Co. lifting straps (24", $19.99) let you hold the bar loosely and focus on leading with your elbows. That is about all the gear this exercise needs; belts and sleeves add little at these loads.

Cable Upright Rows

Cables are one of the most comfortable ways to do upright rows. Attach a straight bar or rope to a low pulley, stand close to the stack and pull upward with your elbows leading. A rope lets your hands separate at the top, which many people find smoother than a fixed bar. The cable also keeps tension at the bottom of the movement, where a barbell or dumbbells go slack.

Single-arm cable upright rows with a D-handle are another option that lets each arm find its own path, and they make it easy to spot differences between sides.

Start light with either version and build up gradually.

Upright Row FAQ

Are upright rows bad for your shoulders?

Many people do them comfortably with a shoulder-width or wider grip and by stopping at about shoulder height. If any version feels uncomfortable, switch to dumbbells, cables or lateral raises.

How wide should my grip be?

About shoulder width or wider. Wider tends to emphasize the side delts.

How high should I pull?

Until your elbows reach roughly shoulder height.

Upright row vs lateral raise?

Both train the side delts. The upright row also works the traps and lets you use more weight; the lateral raise is more isolated.

Barbell or dumbbells?

Dumbbells and cables allow a freer path, which many lifters find more comfortable.

The Bottom Line

A good upright row uses a grip at or outside shoulder width, leads with the elbows, stops around shoulder height and stays controlled. Choose the version that feels best for you, keep the weight moderate, and pair it with lateral raises and face pulls.

Take grip out of the equation with Bay Gear Co. lifting straps, all with free shipping on orders over $49 and a 30-day return policy.